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The benefits of weight training have been clearly illustrated for people of all ages and fitness levels. Everyone can utilize strength training in their exercise routine. It will help increase metabolic rate, increase bone density, improve stability, help prevent injury — the list goes on and on. But will it help improve your kayaking experiences? Here are Greg Barton's thoughts on weight lifting.
Weight training can be good for paddling; it gives raw strength, bulk, and power that is not developed on the water because paddling is not as intensive a movement, and doesn't isolate muscle groups like weight lifting. Working in the gym on specific muscles can help develop strength and stability in a targeted method.
I don't record how much I am lifting very often. I check it once a month or so, but not like most people who are very concerned about it. I'm not trying to become a weight lifter. My goal is to increase strength that I can apply to paddling, which will move the boat faster. I tend to do very precise and deliberate weight movements and I end up having much smaller increases than many other paddlers. I am trying to isolate the muscle I am working on, as it applies to paddling, whereas other people learn how to cheat better at the movement. Take curls. You can curl a lot of weight if you throw your body around. As soon as you start writing the numbers down all the time, you focus too much on the amount of weight and you're not really doing anything more for yourself. In paddling, when you write down a fast time, it relates directly to what you are doing: getting faster in the boat. But in weights, you could move up 30 pounds on a lift but not benefit your paddling any more. I feel that if you start cheating, really jerking around a lot, there are two things that happen. One is you're starting to pull into play muscles other than the one you are targeting. Secondly, what happens when you get into the boat? Are you going to start jerking around there too? Start pulling all over the place? I think some of that carries over. If you use strict technique in the weight room, you're thinking in that mode and it's a little easier to transfer that into the boat. I think people who bang out as much as they can in the weight room tend to paddle that way too. Some things to keep in mind: when developing a gym program and routine, remember what your goals are. Are you going in to become a weight lifter, or to complement your overall fitness goals? Get plenty of rest! The gains in strength come during the recovery period. Overtraining is counterproductive.
Weight training can be good for paddling; it gives raw strength, bulk, and power that is not developed on the water because paddling is not as intensive a movement, and doesn't isolate muscle groups like weight lifting. Working in the gym on specific muscles can help develop strength and stability in a targeted method.
I don't record how much I am lifting very often. I check it once a month or so, but not like most people who are very concerned about it. I'm not trying to become a weight lifter. My goal is to increase strength that I can apply to paddling, which will move the boat faster. I tend to do very precise and deliberate weight movements and I end up having much smaller increases than many other paddlers. I am trying to isolate the muscle I am working on, as it applies to paddling, whereas other people learn how to cheat better at the movement. Take curls. You can curl a lot of weight if you throw your body around. As soon as you start writing the numbers down all the time, you focus too much on the amount of weight and you're not really doing anything more for yourself. In paddling, when you write down a fast time, it relates directly to what you are doing: getting faster in the boat. But in weights, you could move up 30 pounds on a lift but not benefit your paddling any more. I feel that if you start cheating, really jerking around a lot, there are two things that happen. One is you're starting to pull into play muscles other than the one you are targeting. Secondly, what happens when you get into the boat? Are you going to start jerking around there too? Start pulling all over the place? I think some of that carries over. If you use strict technique in the weight room, you're thinking in that mode and it's a little easier to transfer that into the boat. I think people who bang out as much as they can in the weight room tend to paddle that way too. Some things to keep in mind: when developing a gym program and routine, remember what your goals are. Are you going in to become a weight lifter, or to complement your overall fitness goals? Get plenty of rest! The gains in strength come during the recovery period. Overtraining is counterproductive.
